1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a rack assembly for a land vehicle, the same being of the self-unloading type.
2. Prior Art
The field of crop harvesting equipment has included the development of various types of baling machines for hay, straw, and the like and the latest balers produce relatively large and heavy bales of hay or the like which are cylindrical, having a typical diameter of about six feet and a similar length. The baling machine drops these bales in the field where they grew. These bales have a weight which typically is between 1,100 and 1,600 pounds, depending upon the crop that has been baled. Obviously, these bales are too heavy for manual handling.
Heretofore, when it has been desired to move the bales from the field of origin to a remote destination it has been necessary to have some type of mechanized loading equipment available for loading such bales onto an appropriate land vehicle. Such equipment may comprise a tractor having a front end loader. The loaded vehicle has then been moved to an appropriate destination, such as a feed lot for cattle, and the loading equipment has been also transported to such site to effect unloading. Where bales are to be provided to live stock at two different locations, corresponding movement of the loader has been necessary to effect unloading. If numerous bales are to be transported, either a plurality of tractors with loading/unloading equipment are necessary, or else such tractor has had to be moved between the various sites.